


Valentine’s Day Cabaret

by flickerthenflare



Series: Broadway and Baby 'verse [3]
Category: Glee
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, Klaine Valentine's Challenge, M/M, Performing Arts, Romance, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-17 17:53:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 9,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5880160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flickerthenflare/pseuds/flickerthenflare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt and Blaine book a Valentine’s Day cabaret show at a popular New York venue, billing the event as “an evening of stories and song from two of Broadway’s favorite sweethearts.”</p><p>Written for the Klaine Valentine’s Challenge 2016, with the song prompts comprising Kurt and Blaine’s set list for the show.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oh My Love – John Lennon

Kurt and Blaine both have extensive playlists of songs they would want to do in a cabaret, but their upcoming gig isn’t just any cabaret with just any theme. They book a show at an intimate venue for Valentine’s Day, billing the event as “an evening of stories and song from two of Broadway’s favorite sweethearts” in which Kurt and Blaine will share some of the details about their relationship that their fans are so hungry for. The songs have to be romantic. And, if Kurt wants to be sincere, they have to mean something to him and Blaine. Kurt starts with his playlist titled “Overwhelming Feelings Brought to You by Blaine <3” that is usually reserved for nights when they have to be apart and Kurt needs music for company. Given their enduring relationship and love of music, it’s a long list. Kurt barely knows where to begin.

“I’m thinking an eclectic mix of top 40, Broadway, and standards. We need at least one Beatles song. It’s practically a requirement.” Kurt hooks his ankles together and swings them from his favorite perch on Blaine’s piano. Blaine has long since given up on scolding Kurt to get down and sit next to him on the bench. Kurt likes this view the best.

“I have the perfect one in mind,” Blaine pronounces with a pleased lilt and a glint that Kurt can fully appreciate from his vantage point.

“Is this going to be our ‘remember the time we got engaging to a Beatles spectacular’ song, or our ‘falling in love over a dead bird and a Beatles eulogy’ song? Or ‘flirting with dueling marching bands’? A ‘we’re really bad at being platonic’ silly love song from a different Valentine’s Day performance?”

Blaine surprises him by saying, “None of the songs you’re thinking of.”

“No? What am I forgetting? Give me a hint. This is hard to narrow down. What moments _don’t_ we have Beatles songs for?”

“There aren’t enough Beatles songs in existence for all of them.” Blaine plays a few chords on the piano as a hint, but not enough for Kurt to place it, the song slow and soft and ineffably familiar. “I was thinking about when I _knew_ it was going to be you.”

“Dead bird it is. I mentioned that already. I can dust ‘Blackbird’ off no problem.”

Blaine shakes his head. “That was your song to Pavarotti, or to yourself. Let me sing this one to you.”

Kurt swings his feet over the piano, falls quiet, and lets Blaine serenade him with a sweet, understated song about things becoming clear, eyes and mind wide open for the first time. He watches Blaine’s hands move and his eyes crinkle. How many times has Kurt felt renewed clarity while looking at Blaine, everything suddenly coming into focus? When everything in his heart makes sense?

It still feels like a revelation.

 


	2. That’s Amore – Dean Martin

The sounds of Dean Martin crooning about the moon and pizza pie waver over the low-key coffee shop’s sound system while Kurt and Blaine stand in line to order. 

“Ooh, like this! This is just what I was thinking of for our set list.” Kurt gestures vaguely at the speakers above them. “Something standard. Classic. Something that will feel at home in the venue.”

Blaine groans dramatically. "That's like theme-park level music, or coffee shops when you’ve been sitting too long and they want you to leave of your own volition. No one chooses to listen to this song. It's sung at them against their will.”

“ _That’s_ a little harsh for _Amore_.” Dean Martin fits perfectly into Blaine’s wheelhouse of 1950s inspired charm. It seems like a song Blaine should love.

“Dinner theatre will become a hostage situation. They’ll fight back and we're going to be booed out of the cabaret."

Kurt laughs. He's not the only one. He and Blaine are easily the most entertaining thing in the sleepy coffee shop, and their private conversation is loud enough to bemuse the people around them, including the woman in front of them who steals a glance back as they edge forward in line.

"You love sappy old songs like this, and you've sung in theme parks, soooo... Oh!" Kurt pauses his teasing as the source of Blaine’s unhappiness clicks. "You've sung this in a theme park before."

Blaine pouts at the coffee-stained floor he scuffs with a boat shoe. "People _groan_ when I sing it, Kurt. And of course I can hear them; it's not like sound only travels from me to them. And then it's four minutes of slogging through a song even I don't want to sing, making a complete fool of myself, and no one's happy and all the funnel cake in the world isn’t enough to pacify them."

Blaine pauses his rant when they reach the front of the line to smile kindly at the barista and drop a tip in the jar as Kurt places their coffee order. All traces of agitation and insecurity vanish instantly in order for him to become the most charming customer his temporary audience has ever seen.

Kurt knows Blaine is fully capable of self-doubt, but it baffles him as much as people not fawning over every tune Blaine hums and every two-step he takes. Even when rollercoasters and deep friend twinkies are options, Kurt can’t imagine not being drawn most to Blaine.

"Hey. Your rendition of the worst song in existence would still be a good song. You sell saccharine like no one else." Kurt favors Blaine with the teasing nose wrinkle Blaine usually gives him. "If you want to give the song another shot in front of an audience that will appreciate you, I'll be right beside you. If you want to let it live out the rest of its days in coffee shops and theme parks, that's okay too. I’ll support you, and sing with you if you want, because _that’s_ amore.”

It may be silly, but Blaine has helped him face so many fears. Kurt will be damned if he doesn’t do the same.

“Well, I _guess_ if you sing it with me…”

The smirking barista who has overheard far too much calls out, "Nonfat mocha and medium drip For Dean Martin?"

Kurt nudges Blaine forward to answer the call.


	3. Make You Feel My Love – Adele

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings in this chapter for a conversation on Blaine's depression and Finn’s death.

Like life, a set list can’t be all up – something has to bring it back down. Kurt emerges from their bedroom to hear one of Adele’s few songs that’s more about love than loss and he’s not surprised, but that doesn’t stop him from grousing at the flood of feelings it causes.

“Fuck this song.” Kurt goes from fine to choked up in record time. He can’t listen to this song anymore.

Blaine immediately puts it on mute, looking apologetic. Now the apartment is silent and Kurt hates causing Blaine to look like that when he hasn’t earned it. While Blaine knows Kurt wants nothing to do with that song, he didn’t know Kurt would be in hearing distance.

“I thought it might be… I’m looking for a song.” Blaine fishes through his workspace drawers for headphones.

“To give everyone depression?” Kurt’s words come out more biting than intended.

“To talk about it.”

It’s Kurt’s turn to look apologetic. He unearths Blaine’s headphones from a stack of papers on the desk’s surface and sets to work on detangling them to make amends. Like with the piano, Kurt perches against the desk to face Blaine while he works, ankles crossed. Like with the piano, Blaine doesn't insist Kurt get down. Kurt is far more gentle the next time he speaks. “What do you want to say?”

Blaine has haltingly let it come up before in interviews and at the stage door, encouraging anyone else going through something similar to know they’re not alone. It both impresses and concerns Kurt how Blaine gives everything away when he thinks he can help someone else, no matter how hard and private it is. Kurt doesn’t trust strangers to be kind the way Blaine does. Carmen Thibodaux’s less-than-gentle coaxing at NYADA to be vulnerable when performing was like pulling teeth, and Kurt still avoids it if he can. He struggles with their agreement to share enough at the Valentine’s show to convince a room of strangers they know him a little better by the time the show is done.

“I don’t know what I want to say yet. It just reminds me how it feels and I have this amazing platform to take advantage of. I’ll choose a different song that doesn’t mean anything for you. The wonderful thing about music is there’s always more than one song to say what you want.”

Kurt doesn’t get the appeal. Blaine has a prescription to help him get away from how depression feels; a reminder should be the last thing he wants. For Kurt, the song reminds him of Rachel singing for Finn like even death couldn’t stop her from making him feel her love. Like it could possibly be enough. Kurt doesn’t need to be reminded of that pain and he definitely doesn’t want to share it. He mirrors Rachel’s strategy of keeping Finn’s memory private. He doesn't owe the world his pain. He wouldn't break Rachel’s silence even if he wanted to. 

Kurt quirks his lip to lighten the mood. “Tell me why a love song reminds you of depression?”

True to form, Blaine opens up when he thinks it will help someone else.

“Well, when I think about this song, it’s always _to_ me. It's like a promise when I'm on my own highway of regret and at my worst. When I’m feeling unreachable, like there’s a wall of ice between the rest of the world and me. When I’m numb and _trying_ to feel something. When I don’t feel like anyone could love me.”

Kurt ruins his attempt at a mood shift with a guilty musing of, "It's not like I can love the bad feelings out of you."

Kurt could list all the times he has not been helpful. All the times he didn't know what to do and didn't understand what could possibly be going on in Blaine’s head. When it comes to Blaine’s depression, Kurt either isn’t aware or feels completely useless. Kindness and cuddles only go so far. 

Instead of holding it against him, Blaine cracks a smile. "Now, I don't want to make you jealous, but, um, the song’s not about you at all, Kurt. I love myself, too.”

Blaine’s eyes crinkle with earnest delight as he takes in Kurt’s surprise. Kurt finds he likes the song that’s so emotionally draining for him a little better when he thinks of Blaine promising to love himself even when things get hard. 

Blaine stands from his desk chair so they share in the same space. His fingers notch into Kurt’s collar. Kurt breathes in deeply. They fit like puzzle pieces. They relax into each other.

"I’m singing the song to myself, but you matter to me too. I don't want to minimize that either. When I pick a different song, I'd like to arrange our interpretation so you have a part too. I want you to be a part of whatever I do."

"This one." Kurt swallows. He doesn't take back the offer. "It can be this one."

"It doesn't have to be. I know this song means something different to you."

"Blaine Anderson, are you turning down backup harmonies? You know how I love a good 'cherish yourself' anthem. Let me do this for you."

Kurt presses the neatly detangled headphones into Blaine’s other hand. He may not want to hear the song, but he’ll sing it if it makes Blaine feel loved by him, even if Blaine already loves himself. He’ll let it mean something different, something else hard but something Blaine is willing to share and Kurt will do all he can to support. 

Blaine smiles like the sun.


	4. P.S. I Love You – The Beatles

Kurt can count on an “I love you” from Blaine every morning before they part ways. It’s part of their routine. Blaine valiantly wakes with him long enough to say it and see him out the door even when Kurt has several very early mornings in a row thanks to a press-heavy week. By the fourth day, however, Blaine huffs indignantly when Kurt separates their tangled limbs long before the sun rises. His eyes squeeze shut against the light Kurt fumbles for, so Kurt murmurs soothing, nonsensical things and gathers what he needs in the dark.

"Five more..." Blaine hides his yawn behind his pillow but he can’t hide it from his speech. "More minutes and I'll make you breakfast."

"Sleep. You only have four more months before the baby comes and it never happens again. Also, if the sun isn't up, I think it's technically still a midnight snack, and I can handle that just fine on my own."

Blaine is diagonal in their bed by the time Kurt gets out of the shower and is edging closer to where he can usually count on Kurt to be. Just curls and furrowed eyebrows peek out from under the sheets. Only on very late nights, very early mornings, or when Blaine is hung over does Kurt get to witness the sleepy ridiculousness that Blaine sees from him every other day. It’s an endearing sight. Kurt drops onto the bed – just for a moment – and the tenseness in Blaine’s features softens. Heavy eyelids drag open.

“I’m not even going to be gone for long, you know.”

Blaine peeks over the rounded edge of the pillow he clings to.

“It’s not enough time for you to even miss me,” Kurt says. He drops a kiss to Blaine’s mussed curls.

Blaine’s eyes close before the door does.

Kurt has lingered too long already. He rushes to the subway, his mind still back on Blaine in bed. He sees his missed text messages once on the platform.

**Blaine:** Oh no I forgot I love you! (5:59 AM)

**Blaine:** Forgot to say it (5:59 AM)

**Blaine:** I didn’t forget forget I know I love you (6:01 AM)

**Blaine:** It’s too early for punctuation and I’m sorry (6:02 AM)

**Blaine:** PS I love you? (6:02 AM)

Kurt’s torn between showering Blaine with love and letting him sleep. But Blaine won’t sleep until he makes amends for his imagined slight, so Kurt texts haltingly as the spotty subway connection allows.

**Kurt:** You’re the only one who expects you to wake up and see me off – go back to sleep, sweetie (6:14 AM)

**Kurt:** PS I love you too (6:22 AM)

They get spoiled both by the lack of long-distance that they grabbled with early in their relationship and by the frequent chances they have to work together, but the long-distance skills remain. In their industry, expected arrival time can range from early morning to late night, and sometimes they end up at opposite ends of the spectrum. Making time to remind the other how they feel still matters. It’s a lesson Blaine has taken to heart. Throughout the day, each time Kurt has a chance to check his phone, there's a new message from Blaine. 

**Blaine:** \\(^O^)/ As I write this letter, send my  <3 2U (8:06 AM)

**Blaine:** Remember that I’ll always B in love w/U (8:07 AM)

**Blaine:** Those are song lyrics, in case you couldn’t tell. I’m not just being weird (9:28 AM)

**Blaine:** ps I love you (9:59 AM)

**Blaine:** Can you pick up more coke zero on the way home? And hold the diet coke vs coke zero commentary until I’m properly caffeinated to debate it with you? (11:35 AM)

**Blaine:** Treasure these few words til we’re 2gether, Keep all my  <3 forever (2:46 PM)

**Blaine:** Hey how do you feel about this song for Valentine's Day? (4:10 PM)

**Blaine:** PS I LOVE YOU! (4:15 PM)

Kurt gets home long before Blaine, and at the sight of their bed he goes from fine to nonfunctioning levels of tired in seconds. He turns aside and crashes into a cloud of pillows. He may sleep best when Blaine is nearby, but he’s not about to be picky. He can still picture Blaine curled up and keeping the bed warm.

He wakes again when the bed shifts and then warmth envelops him.

"Love you. Sorry I forgot this morning." Blaine kisses the nape of Kurt’s neck.

"I got enough ‘PS I Love You’ to last me.” Kurt sighs in contentment. “Another Beatles song, Blaine? Does our relationship really need another Beatles song? Scratch that, of course it does. Does our show need another Beatles song?"

"We were foolish to think we could pick just one." 

Kurt has more he means to say. He means to ask Blaine to tell him more about his day. He means to tell Blaine more about his - the fashion Blaine would be amused by, the people he met, the song Kurt heard on the radio that suits Blaine's tastes. He means to make several pointed zingers about Coke Zero and see which one makes Blaine laugh. He means to say he picked some up on the way home anyway. Even when they aren’t apart for long, there’s always so much he wants to share with Blaine. He settles for sharing a sleepy-hazy “love you” and makes a mental note to update their set list in the morning.


	5. I Just Called to Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder

With a grand gesture as soon as he has Kurt’s attention, Blaine proudly shows off the brightly taped rectangle on their living room floor. “Now we can rehearse and not worry about falling into audience members’ laps because we’ve misjudged our dance space.”

“I think falling into laps is still a possibility. Wow, that stage is tiny.”

“We both know you’re going to end up on top of the piano anyway.” Blaine beckons Kurt closer into the stage space. Blaine’s piano takes up half of it.

“Unless they have rules against it.”

“I checked for you and they’ll allow it if you sign a waiver.” Blaine fiddles with the radio atop his piano. “Now we just need to figure out our routines. Starting with ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’?”

“The perfect song for dancing around our living room for no reason,” Kurt agrees.

“We’re rehearsing!” Blaine laughs anyway.

They borrow scraps of choreography from their high school days, taking turns following each other’s lead. The narrow space presents a challenge compared to what they’re used to. They can take a few paces to either side before disappearing behind the piano or over the edge. They have to hold each other as they spin.

“Now dip me without dropping me.” No matter how many times Kurt has actually or nearly dropped him, Blaine insists on trying again.

Kurt does so well until they’re back upright, Blaine grinning a distractingly close distance away and his hands pressing into Kurt’s back, breath catching for both of them. Kurt closes the sliver of space between them. Blaine’s eyebrows climb just before he closes his eyes and parts his lips. They forget about the song and the makeshift stage. They also forget who is supposed to be supporting Blaine’s weight and stumble badly enough that they have to break apart. Blaine’s hand catches against the piano.

A little tumble isn’t enough to keep Blaine from a private smile and training his eyes right back on Kurt’s lips. “Is that part of the choreography?”

“Probably not.” Kurt manages to think about choreography for half of a second before he asks, “How do you feel about skipping rehearsal and _practicing_ instead?”

The combined force of their enthusiastic embrace sends them crashing backwards against the piano.


	6. Mirrors – Justin Timberlake

Kurt tests out what to say on a morning where he and Blaine are up at the same time and staying in for coffee. He picks “Mirrors” for Blaine, like Blaine picks “Oh My Love” for him, so he’s responsible for that song introduction. While he doesn’t need an exact script planned out ahead of time, his introductions need to be pithy and pre-approved by Blaine. They learned their lesson on public over-sharing when Kurt once made a comment about Blaine’s superhero alter-ego, saw the subtle disapproving shake of Blaine’s head, panicked, and tried to play it off as a sex joke. Thankfully Blaine found Kurt’s poor crisis management amusing enough to let him off the hook.

“Before I met Blaine, I thought I was the weirdest kid in Ohio.” Kurt passes a cup of coffee to Blaine. He makes two cups, same as he always has, but at this point in their relationship they jointly drink one while the other brews.

“Most _interesting_ ,” Blaine corrects. He drinks deeply and sighs.

“How about, ‘I knew we were meant to be when we both picked Marion Cotillard’s Vogue cover as our favorite’?”

“True.” Blaine’s eyes crinkle at those early memories.

“But is it the too superficial truth?” They have the same idea of fun, but Blaine didn’t just take Kurt’s breath away by having similar TV viewing habits. For the first time he felt understood. They became such fast friends because it was like they already knew each other. Yes, fashion and musical theatre stood out, because Midwest boys weren’t supposed to like those things, but Kurt most admired Blaine’s less defiant but just as closely held commitment to being himself.

“I know what you mean.” Blaine usually does.

“Finding you in the middle of Nowhere, Ohio was a revelation. You were so close all along, every time I felt like I was completely alone. I found you and I knew I would never be that alone again. But that’s so sappy to people who aren’t us. How do we want to tell this?”

“Crack jokes if you want to. It’s _our_ story: every single way is going to turn out sappy.” With a kiss and a wink, Blaine adds, “People know what they’re paying for.”


	7. Just The Way You Are Mashup – Bruno Mars/Billy Joel

Kurt and Blaine have a rule against showering together when they have other things to do. They need to focus on their show, so Blaine respectfully waits his turn. He still stays close. Blaine hums the melody of one of their songs while he brushes his teeth – the Billy Joel one they sang when he first acquired their piano.

Kurt sings the Bruno Mars countermelody from behind the shower curtain. _“When I see your face / there’s not a thing that I would change…”_

They’re still working on getting the mashup exactly right. The songs complement each other nicely in style and substance, but Kurt and Blaine want to create something that’s truly a perfect blend to epitomize their relationship. Something upbeat and joyous and comfortable.

Blaine falls silent, and their mashup becomes a single song.

“ _And when you smile / The whole world stops and stares for a…_ Do we need to give you a break to spit?” Kurt peeks around the shower curtain edge, his hair shampoo lathered into ridiculous soapy spikes.

Blaine makes a face that betrays he’s a little tempted by what he sees. He pulls out his toothbrush with a pop. “Kurt, you know what happened last time we started rehearsing at home.”

“Are you bringing up sex against a piano like it’s _not_ an incentive?” Kurt moves back under the shower spray and starts to rinse. “I’ll disinfect it again, but I think you’re being silly. It’s _fine_. We won’t ruin your piano. It's very sturdy.” He wasn’t overtly trying to tempt Blaine into joining him, but now that Blaine mentions it, Kurt’s mind and body happily seize ahold of the idea. He always wants to be close to Blaine.

“The cabaret show is close enough that we can’t just assume our future selves are going to work out. You’re naked right now. I’m terrible at resisting you, especially when you’re singing a song like that. We _both_ get distracted too easily. Think about how this ends.”

“Oh, I am.” Kurt glows at the innuendo and how neatly Blaine set him up for it. He pushes the curtain open wider. Blaine may be terrible at resisting, but he’s doing better than Kurt would like. There are times when insecurities would protest the bright flood of natural and florescent light highlighting every blemish, every imperfection, but Kurt doesn’t find he cares right now. He’d rather remind Blaine what he’s missing. Blaine’s song, even hummed without the words around a mouthful of toothpaste, makes it hard to feel anything but desired as he is.

Kurt picks up where he left off in the song. Praise usually works on Blaine as well as it does on Kurt. “ _Cause you’re amazing / Just the way you are_.”

“This is how water damage happens.” Blaine smiles, shakes his head, and goes right back to brushing his teeth. A beat later, he checks out Kurt’s reflection in the mirror. He’s never figured out how to be subtle.

Kurt makes the mature, adult decision and splashes water at him.

Blaine gasps and pouts for a moment before he splashes water from the sink right back. Despite already being wet, Kurt uses his shower curtain as a shield. Blaine might have a smaller water source, but he play-fights dirty by running it cold. He also has better aim. He crows when his cupped handful of water hits its target. Kurt feels a moment of regret for their floor before he angles the showerhead to spray Blaine and everything in between.

Blaine sputters. Water cascades off of him, springing up his curls and soaking through his clothes. Kurt’s immediate response is to soothe, gingerly wiping droplets off Blaine’s face with wet hands and smacking a kiss against his wet cheek. Blaine lets him. He tilts his chin toward Kurt’s touch, droplets clinging to his eyelashes, and lets Kurt fuss with a faint smile that says he isn’t as bothered as Kurt worries.

Kurt offers an almost apology with, “You know how I feel about winning? And I love you?”

Blaine forgives him with, “I keep expecting us to grow up one day. We keep changing, but growing up doesn’t seem to be in the cards.” He shakes his head. “I think we’re officially lost causes.”

By several conventional standards, they’re plenty grown: they’re financially independent, they’re married, they’re expecting a baby in a few months. Their desire for play doesn’t go away. Kurt would miss it if it ever did.

Kurt asks too sweetly, “Join me and warm up?”

“Keep having _fun_?” Blaine replies, the last word thick with innuendo. He quirks an eyebrow. More water drips from his curls. 

“Since we’re lost causes and all. Might as well.”

Blaine’s pajamas are completely soaked by the time he peels them off. “Ridiculous.”

Kurt holds out his hand to guide Blaine into the tub alongside him. “Love you anyway.”

Blaine responds with the last line of the song. _“I couldn’t love you any better / I love you just the way you are.”_


	8. Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran

Kurt and Blaine come out of the shower giggling and refreshed. Blaine drops his soaked laundry into the hamper. “Have you decided what we’re wearing?”

“That’s fine.” Kurt’s gaze lingers. Blaine’s bathrobe is delightfully short. Kurt just saw far more than that, but it’s still a lovely sight. Kurt chooses fashion over function for his robe, so he often relies on leaning into Blaine’s heat to maintain his.

Blaine loops a warm arm around him. “Let’s try this again: Kurt, have you decided what we’re wearing _to our cabaret show in front of an audience?_ You said you wanted to coordinate, which is fine by me, but I’d like to know if we have to do laundry with more than a two hour warning.”

Kurt checks the time. They’ve distracted themselves from rehearsing with any seriousness this long already, playing instead of working, but they can get away with a little more. “Fashion show?”

“Fashion show,” Blaine agrees. He puts the Valentine’s Day Cabaret playlist on so they can pretend to absorb the music while not rehearsing it. He predictably gravitates toward Taylor Swift. 

Kurt lays out his top choices for Blaine and himself. Blazers that look like they’re from another era. A cozy cowl-neck sweater in holiday-appropriate colors. A classic suit in black. Another brightly colored. Every kind of pattern from retro to avant guarde. Kurt chuckles as he takes it all in.

“What are you giggling about?” Blaine asks fondly. He knows Kurt well enough to know it could only be good.

“I’m just remembering something. When we met, you were always in that uniform. Even when we weren’t at Dalton, you wore it like a badge of honor. To the coffee shop, to dinner, to the movies, _to the theatre_. Each time we made plans outside of school, I thought I might get a glimpse at how you’d choose to present yourself, but the choice was always Blaine Warbler. I was so curious. You felt familiar to me from the first day we met, but I didn’t actually know much about you at all. You still had me convinced you were older and mysterious, for one.”

Blaine ducks his head and laughs. This isn’t the first time Kurt has teased him about first impressions.

“But I knew the uniform wasn’t _really_ who you were.” It took Kurt a long time to figure out he wasn’t the only one who liked protective layers. “One of the first things I wanted to do with you was dress you up. I dressed you up in every way imaginable.”

Blaine bites his lip. The light in his eyes tells the innuendo he keeps unspoken.

“I’m serious. Maybe you were secretly sporty. Maybe you liked graphic tees with ironic sayings. Maybe you were secretly punk rock. Maybe you didn’t know what to do with yourself without style dictations. Maybe your style would be like mine because we had so much else in common.”

Blaine gravitates toward the charming, spirited option with a pop of color that Kurt suspected he would like the best. “What do you think?” He holds it up for Kurt’s inspection.

Kurt smiles knowingly. “I think now I know you better.”


	9. Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis

Kurt and Blaine manage to rehearse without getting distracted by fashion or each other. They end with the song they debate putting first in the set list to set the tone for the rest of the evening. It should be either the beginning or the end. One way or another, they want this to be one of the songs that stays on the audience’s minds. A song about being unable to help too much too fast too soon while also being meant to be suits them just right.

Blaine commemorates the wrap of rehearsal with a picture. He angles the camera and tugs Kurt in closer, the piano and the sheet music behind them. 

Kurt isn’t much of one for intimacy on camera. Not for public consumption, at least. He doesn’t display his innermost feelings on command. Most of the pictures on Blaine’s instagram and twitter accounts have Blaine leaning in to Kurt. Blaine stretching to close the distance between them. Blaine sharing glimpses into who they are. Blaine writing the captions to be seen by the world while Kurt quietly adores him.

Kurt turns his head at the last moment. His lips catch on the apple of Blaine’s cheek. His fingers cradle Blaine’s jaw.

Blaine coos at the end result. He tips the phone toward Kurt for approval. “Okay to post?”

“You’re cute,” Kurt agrees. Between Blaine’s crinkled eyes and his toothy smile, his surprise and delight are easy to read. They make it easier for Kurt to put himself out there.

“I’ll take another if you don’t like it.”

“I like that you’re cute.” Kurt watches over Blaine’s shoulder as he types out the caption.

_Get ready for the song that epitomizes our relationship. #AnyGuesses?_

“You’re setting yourself up for the ‘Bootylicious’ replies,” Kurt warns.

“I’ll take that bet. I think ‘I Wanna Sex You Up’ will be far more common.”

Kurt would typically recoil from the thought of strangers ascribing either song to them, but his competitive nature has him willing to play immediately. “It’s not about what’s most common. If there’s a single ‘Bootylicious’ suggestion, I win.”

“Fine. Loser has to perform the worst suggestion, with the winner determining what ‘worst’ means. And no rigging the game. The losing song – or the cause of the losing song – can’t come from our prompting, or from our friends.”

“Deal.” Shaking on it hardly seems appropriate for a couple who have been blissfully married for years, so Kurt offers Blaine his pinkie.

Blaine responds by kissing Kurt’s hand. “You realize now one of us is going to be singing a yet-to-be-determined, highly inappropriate love song in the middle of our classy cabaret show.”

“I hope it’s you.” Partly because Kurt wants to win and partly because Blaine sells ridiculousness so well that it’ll probably be the highlight of the evening. The more absurd, the better. Kurt may want to stay far away from social media on most days, but he will scour every comment to earn Blaine’s serenade.

“If so, you’re the one who has to explain how our inappropriate love song came to be to the crowd,” Blaine says.

“Easy. I’ll say we’re the fools rushing in.”


	10. Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

From a logistics standpoint, Kurt’s decision to play the piano at the show when he has just days left to get ready is completely unnecessary. They have a very agreeable band lined up, and Blaine plans to take over the piano on multiple songs as well. Kurt rarely feels compelled to perform with instruments. He trusts his voice; his hands are more likely to fumble. For Blaine the piano is a steady companion, and for Kurt it was a symptom of loneliness. Kurt accompanies himself when no one else will play with him, and that hasn’t been the case for years. Blaine is always willing.

The thought of sending the pianist away and accompanying himself comes to Kurt when they rehearse. Songs are different when every sound made comes from Blaine. Maybe it’s the way Blaine performs in those circumstances that takes Kurt’s breath away. Blaine puts his heart out there like there’s no other alternative. Kurt watches Blaine throw himself into songs and wants to give that experience back.

He feels strange sitting at their piano alone. When Kurt comes to it, it’s to be near Blaine.

Kurt tests out the first few notes. He’s so out of practice. He gave up the piano almost as soon as he found Blaine. Thankfully it’s a slow song and theoretically, he can do it. He knows what all the notes on the page mean. He may struggle, but he’ll get it.

He doesn’t hit every note but he gets into the rhythm of the love song he picked for Blaine. The potential is there if he keeps working at it.

Kurt doesn’t listen as closely for Blaine’s return as he means to. Blaine slips in. Kurt is in the midst of singing, “ _And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory,_ ” when he sees. True to form, Blaine beams at him.

Kurt makes it a few more notes before he gives up. “I don’t know why I think I can surprise you anymore. You know about everything I do.”

“You surprise me all the time.” Blaine takes a seat by Kurt’s side. He purposefully knocks into Kurt’s shoulder. “Don’t let me stop you.”

“It’s not ready yet. It’s possibly not going to be ready.”

“I’ll help you get there. I can stay right by your side when it’s time.”

“That is the opposite of the point.” Kurt starts back at the beginning anyway. He’s still not fully up to speed. It was hard enough before he had an audience – the only audience he wanted to impress. Kurt can’t bring himself to chase Blaine away, so he’ll just have to serenade Blaine from by his side.

Blaine watches Kurt’s lips instead of his hands.

“ _And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways_ ,” Kurt sings. It’s becoming more familiar but his fingers hesitate before they press down.

Blaine guides Kurt’s hands on the keys.

“ _Maybe just the touch of a hand_.” Kurt smiles slyly. From the very beginning, it’s been about a touch of a hand for them.

Blaine steals Kurt’s thunder and his breath by taking the next lines. “ _Well, me—I fall in love with you every single day / And I just wanna tell you I am_.”

Together they manage to hit the right notes and bring it up to speed. “Thinking Out Loud” is supposed to be one of the few songs that are completely Kurt’s, but Kurt decides he wants to keep it just like this.


	11. Chances Are – Johnny Mathis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to mindifimoveincloser for the song suggestion. You’ll know which one.

“How are my chances?” Blaine asks when he finds Kurt studying the comments of the post Blaine made asking for guesses on what song they’ll perform at the show that epitomizes their relationship.

“All I need is one,” Kurt reminds him. He tilts the computer screen so Blaine can look over his shoulder without bending in too awkwardly. Kurt will keep checking until he wins their bet. The bulk of responses to Blaine’s post have come already, with not a single “Bootylicious” reply among them to grant Kurt his victory, but it’s only a matter of time. It’s not like Kurt sees a lot of restraint in the suggestions that include “Sexual Healing” and “Sexy Back.”

“We didn’t set a deadline, did we?”

“Nope. You better prepare your trainwreck in advance of my last-minute win,” Kurt says. “I assume you already know the words to ‘Bootylicious’?”

“Nuh-uh. I mean, yes, I do, but if the song isn’t on the list already, I don’t think it’s happening. Time to admit defeat, Kurt.”

“I just need one person to be inappropriate in the way that I predict. I don’t think that’s too much to expect.” Kurt thought he could count on the internet. They love Blaine’s ass as much as he does. Broadway is full of dancers, and therefore excellent butts, but Blaine’s reputation remains. Kurt will just have to be patient.

“Well, chances are more likely that you’ll be singing…” Blaine examines the list closer. “...‘I Can’t Live If Living is Without You.’ Um. That’s…healthy?”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Nope. But ‘A Groovy Kind of Love’ has potential. You can do a whole routine with that.” Blaine busts a demonstrative groove.

Kurt lovingly rolls his eyes. “‘Crazy in Love’ seems about right.”

They browse together, Blaine’s hand on top of Kurt’s when Kurt scrolls too fast or too slow. The scroll past “Puppy Love” and “Afternoon Delight” and multiple overwrought Broadway love ballads. Someone suggests “Come What May,’ so the songs aren’t all completely unfortunate. “Chances Are” is already on their set list as well – Blaine picked it because he liked the mentions of silly grins and composure slipping that definitely fit them. He sold Kurt on the song by reminding him of Johnny Mathis’ duet with Liza Minnelli.

Blaine croons the now-familiar lyrics as Kurt scrolls past, to which Kurt responds, “Whatever you pick – if you get to pick – keep in mind that this show doesn’t need any more overly-earnest, sappy songs.”

“ _Chances are you think my heart's your Valen…_ ” Blaine stops Kurt from scrolling any further. “Oh my god. Oh my god! We found the perfect song.”

For a moment, Kurt thinks Blaine means “Chances Are,” but they’re already doing that song, and it’s sappy but it’s not ridiculous enough to be a song Kurt sings because he lost a bet. Kurt’s gaze finally zeroes in on the only plausible explanation for Blaine’s excitement: “You’re Having My Baby” blares across the screen. The announcement of the upcoming addition to their family is relatively recent, and their fans now have something even more exciting than Blaine’s ass to fixate on.

“That’s genius in action. Amazing. Everyone else go home.”

“Holy crap.” Kurt is not going to be able to keep a straight face. “No. That’s too ridiculous even for us.”

“Best bet ever. If I didn’t want you to lose before, I definitely do now.” Blaine bounds away with a skip in his step.

Kurt feels his first twinge of doubt in his chances of winning even as he calls after Blaine, “Keep crowing; you’re going to feel silly when you’re doing a dramatic reading of ‘Bootylicious’!”


	12. I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith

Kurt and Blaine bound off the subway ahead of schedule. Still, Kurt sets a brisk pace as they walk the few blocks from the subway to the venue. They'll have time to warm up and sound check once inside, but Kurt is anxious to begin. Years of performing haven’t gotten rid of all his nerves.

“Am I forgetting something?” Kurt asks Blaine.

“Too late now if you are, unless they sell whatever it is at Duane Reade.”

Kurt runs through his mental checklist. He holds the clothes they'll change into in a garment bag over one arm, and it’s heavy enough he knows he hasn’t left them behind. He links his other arm with Blaine’s, and it’s not like he could forget Blaine. Their hair is styled already, and Blaine talked him out of bringing along any more products. Kurt has cheesecake and strawberries in the fridge at home as a romantic reward for a job well done. All that’s left is what they have to perform.

Kurt checks on the song that gives him the most trouble, starting with the chorus. " _I don't want kiss with you..._ No, that's not right. Not right at all."

"I'd hope not."

" _I don't want to dream of you..._ Are those actually the words? Those can’t be the words."

"Trying not to take this personally, Kurt."

"Crap." Kurt stops in the middle of the sidewalk. The word order jumbles in his mind and on his tongue. He thought he had this right. He rehearsed it so it would be right. He did it perfectly earlier. He doesn’t have time for it to be anything but perfect now.

Blaine steers him out of the walkway. "It’s okay. You know what they say about a bad dress rehearsal."

"Excuse you?"

"Not bad," Blaine corrects, realizing his mistake immediately. "It's fine. It's completely not a big deal.”

Somehow the words “it’s fine” don’t stop Kurt’s panic. He backtracks to the beginning. Maybe starting in the middle is the problem.

“ _I could stay awake, just to hear you dreaming._ Fuck. _You breathing? Your heart beating?_ ” He can’t remember even that much.

“Just keep going.” Blaine looks like he’s about to say “it’s fine” one more time before his mouth snaps shut.

“ _Watch your smile while you are dreaming, wonder if it’s me you’re seeing / I could stay like this in this sweet surrender.”_ Kurt flashes a smile at getting it closer to something that seems right. It leaves him completely off guard for what lines are supposed to come next. _“Something something, um, forever and ever_.” What is he promising to do forever and ever? That’s probably something he should remember.

“ _Every moment I spend with you is a moment I treasure!_ ” Blaine supplies, looking like he means every word of it.

“I knew that one.” Kurt pouts. He exhales. He has a little time before the show starts, but not enough time to have a meltdown on a sidewalk in midtown like a tourist. “Pep talk, please?”

Blaine doesn’t miss a beat. “So what if you fake it? You don’t need _words_ to wow people, Kurt. You have a voice that could make people listen to utter nonsense. Just start listing things you don't want to miss; it'll be like your own rock and roll take on 'My Favorite Things.'”

Kurt cracks a smile. He doesn’t think he could come up with rhymes fast enough, but Blaine says it with complete faith.

“Or cut the song. You and I and the band are the only ones who will know it was meant to be there. Either way, you’re going to give one hell of a show, and I’m going to be right there beside you. And then we’re going to go home, turn on HGTV, cuddle, eat that cheesecake you think you’re hiding from me, and declare this the best Valentine’s Day ever.” Blaine holds out his hand for Kurt. He tips his head in the direction of the venue. “Okay?”

Kurt slides his hand into Blaine’s. “Okay.”


	13. Can You Feel the Love Tonight – Elton John

Pure adrenaline pushes Kurt and Blaine through their introduction and the first song. Kurt focuses on Blaine and landing all his cues, every thought of his surroundings set to the side so he can perform without his earlier nerves getting in the way. It’s after the song wraps that he takes in their audience. It’s a small venue, but the crowd fills it with enthusiasm.

Blaine soaks up the attention, shining even brighter in the knowledge that he’s appreciated and wanted. By his side, Kurt sighs in relief. The night is just beginning, but if the reaction so far is any indication, all their rushed preparations just might pay off.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.” Kurt gives a little wave. The applause dies down so they can hear him speak.

“Thank you for choosing to spend your Valentine’s Day with us instead of paying attention to your dates. At least half of you must really want to be here, and that’s swell,” Blaine says with the earnestness he’s famous for.

“Yes, thank you for paying to watch the hour-long serenade my husband was going to give me anyway.”

Someone in the audience whistles. Kurt manages not to startle. Blaine cracks a smile.

It takes a moment for Kurt to settle into the semi-rehearsed banter as the exaggerated public version of himself that’s grander and sillier and more open about his personal life than he actually is. Blaine gives Kurt the space to settle by taking the lead.

“I do love a good sweeping romantic gesture. Valentine’s Day is my absolute favorite holiday. It’s the one special day a year where sharing your feelings, no matter how sappy, is encouraged. But for everyone in the audience who is single and doesn’t want to be, we’ll try to tone it down.”

Kurt gasps in fake outrage. “Don’t you dare. They knew what they were getting into.”

Blaine follows with a stage whisper of, “Kurt, do you really think people will be able to stand that much sappiness? I mean, it’s _a lot_.”

The audience cheers on cue.

“What, are you worried they’ll leave? And we’ll be left…all alone…on this stage…on the most romantic day of the year?” Kurt coyly edges closer on each pause, just as they practiced. It’s an undeniably fun role to play, to be this silly version of himself but just as completely besotted by Blaine. He relaxes and lets himself enjoy it.

Blaine giggles and slides backwards along the piano. He plays bashful so beautifully. The audience eats it up as well.

Kurt catches Blaine’s hand before he can retreat too far. “It sounds like they think they want sappy after all.” He pauses to allow for more enthusiastic cheers. He uses the pause to ramp up his sultry tone. “I say we see let you do your sappiest – really let them feel it - and see where that leads us for this evening. Either they get what they think they want, or we get the night to ourselves.”

Blaine pretends to be distracted enough to almost let Kurt close the space between them. “I think I have just the song, then.”

Kurt reluctantly lets Blaine slide onto the piano bench and out of his grasp. He pops up onto the piano instead.

“Kurt, this is a nice piano. We’re guests here. I know you want to end the evening early, but can’t you wait until after the second song to get us kicked out?”

“But it has my favorite view!” With a kick to propel him backwards towards Blaine, Kurt lounges, showing off for Blaine and the audience. He has eyes only for Blaine as he strokes the sleek lid.

Blaine gulps audibly. “Not arguing with you there.” His lip quirks as he mouths “don’t fall” at Kurt while the crowd is distracted by their laughter. Kurt and Blaine share a private smile and Blaine begins to play.

When he begins, Kurt breathes the romantic words like a sigh of relief. “ _There’s a calm surrender to the rush of day / When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away…”_


	14. Everything – Michael Buble

The applause gives Blaine such elation he looks capable of bouncing off both the piano bench and the stage. He catches Kurt’s eye and grins even more proudly. “Thank you! We’ve had a blast, but that about brings us to the end of the evening.”

“We have one last song for you, and I need Blaine by my side to do it justice.” Kurt coaxes Blaine out from behind the piano to more applause. They face the crowd side by side, just as they began the evening. They joy on Blaine’s face tugs at Kurt's more reserved heart.

Kurt’s nerves have given way. They made it through their show without too many fumbles. Their audience hasn’t left, at least, and he knows the last song by heart. They have a self-congratulatory cheesecake waiting for them at home and all night to continue the Valentine’s Day celebration in private. It’s Blaine’s favorite holiday – for the encouragement to bare all feelings, for the romance of it all, for the grandness - which is how Kurt finds himself going off script in the last few moments where he’s guaranteed an audience.

“There’s a story to this song. But it’s not about a specific moment. Living with Blaine has its own soundtrack. Blaine collects silly love songs like he collects bowties. He makes me sit and listen when a new one comes around, when he can’t sit still himself from the excitement of it. I can hear a song now and know it’s going to be part of Blaine’s collection. This one has graced our apartment many times. I’ll hear it from the shower, or while doing dishes. Or when I sleep in too late and Blaine wants to wake me kindly.”

Blaine’s eyebrows lift in surprise but he doesn’t look concerned. Kurt tries not to tell stories about Blaine with permission, but this one will be okay.

“Before Blaine, I was used to the quiet. I knew how to be alone. Now, when it’s quiet, I know what I’m missing, and it turns out I like the music better than I like the quiet. There are all these songs that are about you now, Blaine. Even when you’re not around they’re in my head and I can’t get any quiet there either. And then we decided our lives weren’t hectic enough and in, oh, about four months, it may never be quiet again. This song – and every song from this evening, really – fits into the soundtrack of those little not-so-quiet moments we get to share.”

Kurt directs what he has to say more to Blaine than the audience, although he knows he can still be heard. A few “awws” are loud enough to reach the stage. Blaine echoes them.

“So… No, pressure, Blaine: take us away!”

Blaine laughs and the audience cheers him on. “You stole my thunder!”

“Technically, half of your thunder was mine anyway.”

Blaine squeezes Kurt’s hand in his left and adjusts the microphone stand with his right. “As Kurt said, this is a song for the little moments that beg for music.”

Blaine signals to the band to begin. He sings each word with a smile Kurt returns, and they hit the chorus together.

_“And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times_

_It’s you, it’s you, you make me sing._

_You’re every line, you’re every word, you’re everything.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That concludes the official Klaine Valentine’s 2016 challenge, but check back tomorrow for Kurt and Blaine’s encore! Thank you for being a wonderful audience for their cabaret show.


	15. The Encore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to mindifimovecloser for the suggestion that made this encore happen.

Kurt and Blaine rush back out onstage to the sound of more applause.

Kurt grins. They did everything that they were supposed to. This bit is just for fun. “We do have another song in mind for you after all.”

“If you follow me on social media, you know I posted a rehearsal picture asking for guesses on the song I said we would perform that particularly epitomized our relationship. The song was ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love,’ by the way, not ‘Afternoon Delight,’ or ‘Beautiful Disaster,’ or ‘Lovefool,’ or anything else mildly concerning for a person to say about their relationship, but, um, thanks for trying? Kurt and I placed a bet on whether a _certain song_ of his choosing would grace the list.”

“And then he didn’t set a deadline.” Kurt shakes his head and grins. He loves winning.

“Because the ‘winning’ response came so late, I’m not entirely sure Kurt didn’t rig the game, even though cheating was _expressly against the rules_.”

Kurt does his best to look innocent. “Well, as long as it’s against the rules to cheat…”

Blaine’s affectionate eyeroll is dramatic enough to be seen by the back row. “This is our compromise. Lights, please!”

The lights drop and Kurt scrambles into position by the bar. The lights raise again, all dramatically focused on Blaine now facing away from the crowd. Someone whistles. Several more cheer as the opening chords become recognizable.

Blaine taps his foot along with the beat the band gives. He throws a look over his shoulder. His voice is husky as he intones, “Tell me, can you handle this?”

He turns and struts forward. He sings the same line with gusto, “ _Tell me, can you handle this?_ _Tell me, can you handle this?_ ”

Kurt cheers the loudest.

“ _Barely move, we've arrived / Lookin' sexy, lookin' fly._ ” Blaine commits to dancing across the small stage like he owns it, the moves learned and then adapted from studying the music video.

Kurt joins in with what can only be described as an exuberant dance mix of what was once a ballad. “ _Having my baby / What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me_.”

The howls of laughter from the audience almost drown Kurt out.

“ _Lead my hips, slap my thighs._ ”

“ _Oh,_ _I can see it / Face is glowin.'_ ” He growls the lyrics. It’s the most sexual Kurt has sounded in a public performance since the “Animal” debacle. Kurt does his best not to giggle and ruin the effect. He had a 50/50 success rate when they rehearsed earlier.

“ _Swing my hair, square my eyes._ ” Each twist of Blaine’s hips eggs Kurt on.

“ _I can see in your eyes / I'm happy you know it._ ” Kurt works his way across the room, closer and closer to Blaine.

Blaine offers Kurt a hand to help him onto the stage. “ _Look over my shoulder, I blow you a kiss / Can you handle, handle this_?”

“ _I don’t think I’m ready, but you’re having my baby!_ ”

Phones throughout the audience take a chance on being kicked out of the venue to capture the moment. The show is close enough to the end that no one is going to stop them. Kurt suspects they might make Broadway news tomorrow.

“The future father of my child, ladies and gentlemen!” Kurt presents Blaine to take a bow before following with his own.

Blaine calls out on their behalf, “Thank you and goodnight!”

Kurt grabs Blaine’s hand as they make their way off stage.


End file.
